| Philipic |
| Okay, I really wasn't planning to write a philipic. I accidentally said I would on the homepage, and it's not my style to lead people on. So maybe some wisdom can be squeezed from the way our government has behaved in the past few days, eh? NOW I remember, I DID write a philipic, it just seems to be missing from my webpage. Very odd, as I spent a LOT of time writing that. Okay, it went a little like this. I hold that the art of politics is the art of compromise. We elect hundreds of people with radically different views and put them in the same building, then laugh at the result. The beauty in our government is that those people can all work together and compromise to make a bill or law that has been debated and discussed at great length. For example, Senator Prulive is against abortion, but Senator Pruchuse is not. Senator Prulive will collect mountains of testimony and biblical verses to support his point, and Senator Pruchuse will do the same. They submit their information to the Senate and House, so that everyone will benefit from the opinions of others. This is good, and not only because it gives our Senators something to do in-between yelling at coworkers. It means that every issue, every opinion, every alternative is discussed and researched for the benefit of all members of government. Discussion, as we all know, is a very, very, very good thing. There is no worse feeling than knowing you are wrong about something when someone else corrects you. There is also no better feeling than correcting someone who is wrong. It isn't a matter of pride, it is important because people realize the facts as they are, not as they have perceived them to be. Right now, discussion is not a good thing. War is upon us, and our nation is in a war-time mood. Our opinions and personal inclinations have been shattered for the cause of group obligations. Our nation must be strong. "United we Stand". What the devil does that mean? It means that we will all stand together in a time of crisis. Not only do we need to stand together, our prayers, thoughts, and ideas must all be the same. We must all become tiny defenders of the American Dream, going to work every day and waving a flag off the antenna of your SUV. We must all have faith in our military, faith in our leaders, faith that they will get the job done. As you can imagine, I don't like wars. I can see a moral reason for punishing those who attack us, but that is a matter of perception. Those young men would not have died to attack America had it not been for their opinions of America. We are the giant, polluting graveyard of freedoms and promiscuity, a place where inferior women are treated equally under a "democracy." Rule of the people? True wisdom and guidance can only come from the clergy, the true believers in Allah and his mercy! I don't believe in that. We have our faults, but everyone does. At least we try to make ourselves better, and that is more than a lot of countries do. Yet they have attacked us, believed strongly enough that we are all infidels and worthy of God's vengeance. To them, we attacked first. It is an opinion, and wrong in some ways, but all opinions must be regarded equally. If we keep exchanging blows, thinking the other had attacked first, we will be "continuing the cycle of violence." Until, of course, one of us is utterly defeated. By the time that happens, an enormous number of innocent people are going to be given a burial. Does it matter what side gets killed? Innocents are innocents, it is besides the point where they call home. Would it be better to call of our attacks and end the cycle of violence? I only wish things were that simple. The people who were responsible for the "Attack on America" deserve to be brought to justice. I say justice, because no one knows what they wll get. Maybe a slap on the wrists, or death by lethal injection, their actions were cowardly and premeditated. I hope that we all figure out what we did wrong, and learn from our mistakes. As to our government, we need a voice of dissension now and then. It is what makes America strong. Our country is a massive paradox of morality, one that I wish people could understand. We come from many different parents, countries, and faiths, but we must all remember that there is nothing wrong with speaking out. Why haven't we learned more about why sending ground troops into Afghanistan is wrong? Where is the dissension, the discussion, the debate? Are people scared to speak out? I'm sure many people are that way. Or they're too ignorant to think for themselves, a scary thought indeed. In conclusion, our country must become stronger by becoming more divided. An interesting idea, one that Abraham Lincoln would probably smack me for, but our country is very different now than it was in his time. Varying ideas, opinions, strategies, everything is needed right now. At the very least, it makes the news more interesting. At the most, it makes us all more thoughtful people. -The Dark Dachshund |